Freize Fashion 2016: Gentlewomen styling, cuffed trousers and pink.

Frieze London came around again last week, can it really be a year since the last one? TWR is lucky to have VIP access and so I did my usual brief glimpse at the very best in contemporary art followed by a long, long look at the fashion.

Of all the places I go to around the globe art fairs, particularly Frieze London, are where you best see how smart, wealthy women are wearing this season’s trends. Forget the ubiquitous Fashion Week schedule and its cartoony-fashion, or what Vogue says (it had a tricky week with its opinion), Frieze is where the women who can afford to buy designer fashion can be seen wearing it.

This season, it’s all about tailored trousers suits, often in either navy or a fine woven check, worn softly and casually, with that elegant tomboy styling so loved by the likes of The New Garconne crew. I loved the autumnal checked one above, worn so simply with a white shirt, great trainers and with the trousers cut wide (wide trousers, often cropped about the ankle, were everywhere). It looked smart, but in an easy, definitely-not-a-work-suit way. The check made it look really modern.

Shoes made a difference to the ‘smartness’ feel, add a heel and we’re talking a different vibe. I really loved the princess-length sleeves on the left hand Prince of Wales suit, and cuffed flares! They are big news, if you have the shape to pull it off, they look impressively glamorous. How amazing does the woman on the right look in hers?

A little bit of a trouser-drape at the hemline seems to be popular, it looks fab when you are standing still, but I’m not sure what happens to all that pooled fabric when you dash for the tube.

Cuffed hems were everywhere, I adored these navy trousers, which I think are the perfect length and have the perfect depth of cuff. It’s possible these have just been turned up at the hemline rather than properly sewn as turn ups. These ones from Finery are similar. Or they could be these ones from Isabel Marant.

Shall we have some art?

TBH the art was a bit underwhelming this year, although I did love this feminist neon number by Yael Bartana. There was a great deal of pink featured again, I loved it as a highlight in Tracey Emin’s work below.

The next big trend was for a metallic pleated skirts and metallic shoes. It seems like we’ve been writing about metallics for years, we must really love them. I have to confess I treat my silver Grenson brogues a bit like I would a neutral colourway and wear them with pretty much everything.

If you are looking for a metallic pleated skirt, then there’s a rather good bargain maxi one at Bruce Oldfield for John Lewis here, and a great metallic green one from Maison Scotch here.

Loved these pepto-bismal pink shoes with their blocked heel.

My favourite piece of art this year was this pink plaster and selenite crystal boombox by Daniel Arsham. It looked like a modern fossil.

The cool way to wear your pleated skirt is with an oversized sweat (blame Vetements) which looked rather wonderful here above. I think the ankle boots bring it all together.

Another piece of pink art, if you look closely at this work by Portia Munson, you can see some quite rude things coloured pink.

What did I wear I hear you say? My new vintage tartan kilt, with a mandarin-collared red silk jacket, and those silver shoes. Very Miss Jean Brodie does on-the-cheap Gucci. BTW if you’re interested, those Gucci Princetown pink loafers from the top image, they are here.

That gorgeous mirror above, is held up by white carved marble in a clever play with textures and expectation, by Ryan Gander. More clothes and art on Friday!

8 Comments

Friday? I’m not sure I’ll be able to wait until then. You have definitely improved Monday morning 100% with this, Amanda. Your outfit looks great. I’ll have a proper look at the others in a minute. Not those Gucci’s , but I’m currently wondering about blowing my entire eBay sale funds on a pair of mad coloured Marmonts…& do you end up thinking everything just looks a bit Tracey Emin/ Noble Webster/ whatever at the moment?

Glad to have made your morning Sue! And do it! blow the ebay fund! I LOVE that you have a fund, as do I, and I suspect there is a blog post in discovering how many of you recycle your funds on ebay, selling stuff in order to buy more. I do this a lot, it’s much more interesting than buying in shops and I’ve got some amazing bargains.
In my few years observing the contemporary art world I have decided art goes through phases, just like fashion, so hold tight Sue, I’m sure something amazing will be just around the corner. I’m currently LOVING Ryan Gander’s work, it’s so witty. A

DKUK, well free would be fabulous, I agree, although Freize itself is a selling exhibition, it’s a fancy-looking trade show really and exists as a market from which to buy. It’s not an exhibition, as such, so I get why they charge.
But if you want free art, all the big London selling galleries have great shows on to coincide with the Freize event and take advantage of all that foot traffic. I’d recommend Victoria Miro, Hauser&Wirth, The White Cube, Gagosian, Marian Goodman, Sadie Coles….and they are all free, so think about going around them instead, lord knows there’s plenty of them now in central London.
Katy, thanks!
Ax

Perhaps I;m too old-fashioned, but some of those suits look really ill-fitting to me. The combination of loud fabric, too-wide and too-short trousers, and too-big jacket means that the woman in the checked suit could easily be mistaken for a clown. Not exactly an advertisement for designer fashion! The jacket of the princess sleeve suit looks fine, but the trousers have been hemmed for flat shoes and are completely the wrong length for wearing with heels.

These fashions are the latest trends of the street. Lovely culottes looks adorable and gives a cool feeling this will enhance more when you will have a shaped eyebrow that will enhance your personality and make you look glorious. According to beauticians and make-up professionals worldwide, the eyebrows shape the face and give definition to the eyes and forehead.Wonerful pink art. Really admirable. Great post.